WCSH-TV6 • June 29, 2021
During a hot summer day, Brett Ciccotelli spent a few moments near the dam on the Union River in Ellsworth. Ciccotelli picked up something he noticed hundreds of last week: a dead baby alewife. “This dam does not have a lot of good options for fish migrating through it," he said. For years, Ciccotelli and his organization, the Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF), have called for changes regarding fish passage at this dam. Brookfield Renewable Partners owns the dam, as well as others on multiple rivers in Maine. A spokesperson for the energy company told NEWS CENTER Maine in a statement that fish passage measures have been in effect since 2015. To help ensure better fish passage, Ciccotelli hopes Brookfield adds a state-of-the-art fish ladder or fish lift on the dam. He added the company told DSF it won't plan on changing any operations until they see at least ten dead fish a minute which is about 14,000 dead fish a day.